Briefing Note COVID-19 AND THE IMPACT ON MIGRANTS Summary The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted a large proportion of the world’s population. While everyone is affected to some degree, some groups are particularly vulnerable, both to the disease itself and to its secondary social and economic impacts. Although they face the same risks in terms of health threats from COVID-19 as the rest of the population, migrants are in a particular situation that severely compounds their vulnerability in such context. Migrants are particularly exposed to the health impact of COVID-19. Migrants, like host communities, need access to screening, testing, treatment, and eventual vaccination for COVID-19. Yet, many are unable to comply with preventative measures necessary to keep healthy and stay safe and experience significant challenges in accessing appropriate care when falling ill. Undocumented/irregular migrants, in particular, may not seek testing or treatment for COVID-19 for fear of being detected. The circumstances of their journeys, living or working conditions and lack of effective access to essential services make them particularly vulnerable. The economic repercussions of lockdown measures disproportionally and negatively impact migrants, who are often working in precarious situations. Many migrants have suffered a loss of income due to business downsizing or been deprived of their source of income, while at the same time remaining outside mainstream or formal protection and safeguarding measures. As such, migrants are particularly at risks of being pushed into more vulnerable or exploitative situations, or to resort to negative coping strategies. Most critically, migrants often encounter a broad range of practical and legal obstacle in accessing basic services, i.e. a set of services that are considered fundamental for every human being. They include access to food, clean water and sanitation, basic health and medical care (including access to testing and COVID-19 treatment, if needed), psychosocial support, education, and the possibility to be in contact with the loved ones. In the current context, this arguably includes various compensation schemes set up by governments in order to mitigate the economic impact of the COVID-19 crisis as well. The recent developments are known to have also led to a change in attitudes towards foreigners, with migrants being scapegoated for the spread of the virus in many contexts. Social cohesion between migrants and host communities may be durably affected in many countries where development of migrant-inclusive approaches may be rendered more challenging. 1 ifrc.org Background In one way or another, the COVID-19 pandemic has affected a large proportion of the world’s population. In terms of health, the virus has created greater morbidity and mortality of specific groups of people, such as elderly or people suffering from chronic diseases. Yet, beside the direct health impact of contracting the virus, the crisis has impacted health in much more significant manner. The sudden outbreak has exerted significant pressure on the health systems in both developed and developing countries by large and medical supplies have been diverted to respond to the most urgent COVID cases, sometimes at the detriment of other medical cases. It remains to be seen also to what extent it will have a psycho-social impact on those impacted by social distancing and isolation for a longer period of time. Moreover, the measures adopted by states to contain the spread of the COVID-19, including imposing bans on certain types of activities or instituting complete or partial lockdown, have had significant social and economic impact affecting almost all aspects of day-to-day life, including employment and economy, with a substantial portion of the world population being confined and subject to social distancing measures.1 They have also had an effect on rule of law and on the protection of human rights. Severe restrictions have indeed been placed on mobility and freedom of movement, with numerous states closing their borders and preventing people from leaving or entering their territories.2 Privacy and security concerns have been raised in relation to the development of coronavirus tracking app in several countries. Although they face the same risks in terms of health threats from COVID-19 as the rest of the population, migrants are in a particular situation that severely compounds their vulnerability in such context. By definition, migrants are people who live outside their country of origin and as such, are far from their family and social safety nets. Many have been stranded abroad when the COVID-19 outbreak erupted, and were unable to return home due to border closures. Others have been trapped in transit countries in extremely precarious situations, unable to move onward and find safety in other countries. Many have suffered a loss of income due to business downsizing or been deprived of their source of income, while at the same time remaining outside mainstream or formal protection and safeguarding measures. As such, they are particularly at risks of being pushed into more vulnerable or exploitative situations. In many cases, migrants have also been unable to access support due to a lack of access to critical information in their own language or due to cultural barriers. While so far, priority has been placed on responding to the immediate and urgent needs rising from the pandemic, there are concerns that the COVID-19 situation will continue to affect the lives of people for several years. Against this backdrop, it is likely that migrants will remain among the most vulnerable groups of people affected both from a social and economic perspective. On the one hand, the economic impact of the pandemic may stretch social programs and services, such as health and education, in developing countries, resulting in barring the access of the most vulnerable migrants to essential services. On the other hand, migrants may face significant difficulties in going back to work in countries that have seen rising level of unemployment. The situation, as far as they are concerned, is particularly problematic considering not only the increase of prices for some of the most important staple, but also the fact that migrants often support families left behind through 1 By the end of March 2020, well over 100 countries worldwide had instituted some form of lockdown. See for instance “Coronavirus: The world in lockdown in maps and charts”, in BBC, 7 April 2020, available at: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-52103747. 2 By the end of May 2020, travel restrictions had been implemented in 221 countries, territories and areas. See IOM, DTM COVID-19 Global Mobility Restriction Overview, 04 June 2020, available at: https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/DTM- Covid19%20Global%20Overview%20Output%2004.06.2020%20Final_0.pdf. 2 ifrc.org the remittances. The recent developments are known to have also led to a change in attitudes towards foreigners, with migrants being scapegoated for the spread of the virus in many contexts. Social cohesion between migrants and host communities may be durably affected in many countries where development of migrant-inclusive approaches may be rendered more challenging. Through a partnership with the Migrant Workers’ Centre and the Centre for Domestic Employees, the Singapore Red Cross is distributing awareness materials on reducing the risk of COVID-19 in languages commonly spoken by migrant groups in Singapore. Disseminated information advises how migrant domestic workers can protect themselves and the households in which they are living and working. What can National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies do? It is the experience of many National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies that migrants continue to face significant, if not increased, challenges in meeting their basic needs and accessing essential services during the pandemic. Against this backdrop, the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement (the Movement) is scaling up its COVID-19 activities across every region and is working particularly closely with the most affected and at-risk countries to take action to keep people safe. The IFRC and ICRC are working together to support National Societies as well as communities most at risk in a complementary and coordinated way. Movement components are already and will continue to work closely together to respond to the crisis, with the following broad objectives: 1. Contribute to reducing morbidity and mortality, and secondary health impacts caused by COVID-19 through actions aimed at preventing or slowing transmission. 2. Mitigate the socio-economic impact of the pandemic during and after the pandemic by ensuring affected communities, including migrants, maintain access to basic services. 3. Deliver a principled, agile and impactful response by adapting operations to efficiently respond to the direct and indirect needs created by the pandemic on people and systems, while maintaining duty of care towards staff and volunteers. In practice, National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies are already undertaking a broad range of activities to support migrants in the context of the COVID-19 outbreak. This includes: - Providing a broad range of services to migrants, whatever their legal status, including health, psychosocial support, information and referrals. - Ensuring that migrants, including irregular migrants, are systematically integrated in the national response plans and activities, and that firewalls are in place reduce fears of arrest, detention or deportation and increase trust. - Advocating to ensure access to essential services for vulnerable migrants, whatever their legal status. - Addressing stigma and xenophobia against migrants through information campaigns aimed at fostering social cohesion. 3 ifrc.org The Icelandic Red Cross (IRC) has been working very closely with health and immigration authorities and coordinates its activities with all relevant actors. The www.virtualvolunteer.org website has been used to publish COVID-related information, including videos, in several languages and PSS support is available on the phone to migrants if they request it.